2022 Industry Summit Hall of Honor Recipients Announced

The Industry Summit (A Beckett Event) has revealed its honoree list for the newly-named Industry Summit Hall of Honor. Registration for this year’s Industry Summit is now open at TheIndustrySummit.com.

The Hall of Honor, formerly called Partners In Progress, honors key leaders and innovators who have made exceptional contributions to the growth of the trading card and memorabilia industry. The awards are presented during the Industry Summit, being held this year at Harrah’s Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, October 2-5, 2022. On Monday, October 3, the honorees will be presented their awards during the Hall of Honor Luncheon. Summit attendees will receive custom, limited edition trading cards of each honoree.

“We changed the name of the award to more clearly define the recognition for these outstanding industry leaders”, said Ted Barker, Industry Summit Director. “This is a year of change and growth at Beckett. We are moving into our new headquarters in Dallas and have created a beautiful crystal trophy that will be prominently displayed there with all the winners’ names dating back to Beckett’s purchase of the Industry Summit. Each of this year’s honorees will receive a replica of the permanent trophy.”

“We reached out to past honorees to share the name change and solicit nominations for consideration.” Barker added, “Narrowing the list of worthy nominees was difficult, we are so excited to announce this outstanding class.”

This year’s honorees are:

Joe Davis – President, Gotbaseballcards.com and J&J Sports Superstore

Joe began his business as a show dealer and has grown to one of the elite retail and mail order stores in the country. He is known for his integrity, willingness to help anyone in the hobby and creating a family-friendly store. He is often called on to speak at events, including the Industry Summit. J&J Sports Superstore is a former Topps Retailer of the Year winner.

Tracy Hackler – Director of Marketing, Roadshow Cards

Recently joined the Roadshow Cards team to direct the marketing efforts of one of the industry’s most exciting and creative new retailers. Previously, he has spent decades in the trading card industry as a key member of the marketing teams at Donruss/Playoff and Panini America. He was a long-time editor and Associate Publisher at Beckett Media. He is known throughout the industry for his efforts to grow the community of collectors and is one of the hobby’s most popular personalities.

Mike Jaspersen – Principal Consultant, Jaspy’s Sports Cards & Collectibles

Mike’s noteworthy career includes seven years at Beckett Media. He had a 14-year tenure at Topps, managing the massive Topps Vault and leading the team that cataloged and maintained the Topps Archives. He is a former Senior Vice President at The Pit. Since 2014 he has been Owner and Principal Consultant at Jaspy’s Sports Cards & Collectibles in Hermosa Beach, Calif., working with his son and continuing a three-generation family legacy in the trading card hobby

Kevin O’Neil – Hobby Sales Director, Topps

Kevin has served the collector community honorably in a variety of sales management roles dating back to 2000. He has held management positions at Upper Deck, a 13-year stint at Press Pass and since 2013 has been a key sales manager at Topps, including his current position of Hobby Sales Director. He has mastered the intricacies of managing relationships with dealers and distributors, gaining universal respect throughout the industry.

David Reel – Vice President, S&E and Strategic Growth Business Development, GTS Distribution.

David is a lifelong collector who has spent the last 17 years in the trading card industry. He credits the Industry Summit for giving him the first opportunity to connect with industry leaders and open a path to his career. He began at Topps in 2005 as a National Account Manager and worked his way up the ladder to Vice President of Sales during his nine-year tenure. In 2014, he joined GTS Distribution as Vice President of Sales. Today he leads the worldwide sales and growth efforts at the largest distributor in the industry.

Grayson White – Founder & Director, Cherry Collectibles

Grayson is the first non- North American honoree in the Hall of Honor. His full-time industry career began in 2009. It was then that he took his side-hustle to a full-time effort. In 2015 he opened his Super Store retail location in Melbourne, that includes a very active breaking business. He has created a destination space for collectors and led the growth of the trading card explosion in Australia.

Previous Honorees

2016

• John Broggi – NSCC
• Mike Berkus – NSCC
• Lloyd Kee – GTS Distribution
• Kit Young – Kit Young Sports Cards
• Jim Beckett – Beckett Media
• Angelo Exarhakos – Universal Distribution

2017

• Lynn LaPlaca – Ultra Pro
• Janyce Mabra – TriStar Productions
• David Hall – PSA
• Roger Barry – Magazine Exchange
• Evan Kapan – MLBPA
• Mark Harwell – Beckett Media

2018

• Jeff Rosenberg – TriStar Productions
• DJ Kazmierczak – Panini America
• Mike Phillips – The Upper Deck Company
• Clay Luraschi – Topps
• Jim Grant – Peach State Sports
• Brad Waggoner – Southern Hobby Distribution

2019

• Jason Howarth – Panini America
• Chris Ivy – Heritage Auctions
• Adam Martin – Dave & Adam’s Cardworld
• Dave McCarthy – NHL Enterprises
• Victor Shaffer – Fanatics
• James Spence – JSA Authentication

2021

• Dan Anderson & Doug Caskey – MOJOBREAK
• Bryan Gavin – Ultimate Box Breaks
• Ken Goldin- Goldin Auctions
• Brian Gray – Leaf
• Hersh Family – Etta, Jerry, Mike – National Sports Collectors Convention
• Chris Justice – Cards Infinity
• Rich Layton – Layton Sports Cards
• Nick Matijevich – Panini America
• Chad Redfern – FireHand Cards
• Veres Family – Stephen, Rob, Ryan – Burbank Sports Cards